


My Partner, Cormac

by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: #Hermione'sHaven, #RollADrabbleAug25th, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cute, F/M, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Potions Accident, Prompt Fic, drabble prompt, light humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 15:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns/pseuds/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: Maybe having Cormac as a partner wasn't so bad. He did save her after all. Written for Hermione's Haven, Roll-A-Drabble!





	My Partner, Cormac

"This is really simple, Cormac. Just chop the valerian."

"I'm doing what I'm supposed to do, Granger. Look for yourself."

There's a cringe. Hermione looked down at the cauldron tentatively, releasing a relieved sigh.

"All right. I'll juice the Flobberworm, and you can chop the Sopophorous bean."

The curly-haired witch turned to do as she said after she was satisfied with Cormac's smug expression and nod. She rolled her eyes to herself as she juiced the Flobberworm, hating the fact that she was paired with the git in the first place.

She stole a quick glance over towards Harry and Ron, seeing that blasted book settled between them. For Merlin's sake, they were cheating with someone else's notes!

"Erm, Granger," Cormac said beside her, but she wasn't paying attention. She was squeezing the Flobberworm for all its worth, muttering about cheats and unfairness.

"Granger," Cormac said again. Again, Hermione didn't hear her partner calling for her.

It was when he grabbed her shoulder and shook her. Hermione snapped her head in Cormac's direction and narrowed her eyes, mucus seeping through her clench fist.

"What," she snapped in a soft tone; it was an automatic thing for her in the classroom.

Cormac pointed towards their cauldron. "It's not supposed to be doing that, is it?" he asked.

Hermione saw the bubbles producing and popping rapidly in their cauldron. "What did you do?" she demanded.

"Exactly what you told me to," he said. "I added what I chopped. It's not my fault."

If there was a moment that the witch could have cried and blasted tables from there to Azkaban, she would have taken that moment right then.

"I only said to chop the Sopophorous bean! Not add it in afterward," Hermione replied.

The blond raised his hands. "You should have made that clearer then."

This dunderhead would be the end of her. Before she could promptly tell Cormac what he should do in a 'clearer message', the bubbles began to grow in larger amounts.

Professor Slughorn decided to finally grace the pair with his presence, gasping at the sight of the creation in the cauldron.

"Step back, students!" he declared, and all eyes were on them. "This is not going to be a pleasant sight."

Hermione held up her index finger, seeing her reflection in the large, ugly bubble in the cauldron. With how lost she'd been in her thoughts, no deflection spell or charm came to mind. Professor Slughorn took his wand out, lips moving, but Hermione saw it in slow motion.

Her eyes grew wider as the bubble popped, and her body finally decided to act with instinct. Her arm moved to protect her from the blast, and a hard impact came over her.

When she tried uncovering her eyes, it wasn't what she had been expecting. The hard impact didn't come from a spell or the potion bubble, it came from Cormac covering her.

He had used his own body as a shield  _for her_.

Thanking him wasn't going to happen right then because his screams, the professor's pleas, Harry and Ron's babbling, and everyone else's whispers took the moment away. 

* * *

Hermione sighed, seeing the blond laid out in front of the fireplace on his stomach, robes and shirt gone thanks to the blast. His back was a nasty shade of red with faint lines stretching from the middle to the edge of his pants.

Madame Pomphrey had healed the major damage that was done from the mishap, but it left him with what Hermione was looking at now. The mediwitch instructed that someone apply a healing cream to Cormac's back for the next three days or until the redness disappears.

Three guesses who was given such a task.

"If this is all it took to get you to touch my body, I'd have jumped to your rescue soon," he said, his head facing the fireplace.

Hermione couldn't resist rolling her eyes again. "Please save your arrogance for some giggling girl who actually cares."

Cormac chuckled, the deep tone in it wasn't actually jarring.

She looked around; the common room was surprisingly empty. Given what had happened, she was sure it was going to be packed with students itching to appease or spread rumors. She was thankful for the silence and (if she had to admit) the distraction Cormac gave her. It was much better than being upset over the journal Harry wouldn't get rid of.

Something did nag at her, though.

"Why did you jump in the way?" she asked, making her way over to him with the jar of cream Madame Pomphrey provided. She opened it and dipped her fingers inside. With enough on her fingers, she began to apply it gently to Cormac's back.

He winced slightly, but that's all. He didn't turn to look at her.

"To keep you safe."

The witch nearly stopped her movements. Hearing the git admit to wanting her safe was a bit much. Dare she say it, it made her feel something towards him other than resentment or as a revenge source.

"Couldn't mess up the pretty face I enjoy looking at, could I? Even at the expense of my own gorgeous features."

He had to ruin the thought, didn't he?

Hermione snorted, continuing her ministrations for his back. "Whatever, Cormac."

There was silence between them, much to Hermione's surprise. She wasn't going to question it either. They stayed that way until she finished, and another thing she didn't want to admit but would be that she enjoyed admiring his muscled back more than she knew she should have.

"Thanks, Granger," he said, eyes fluttering to a close in front of the roaring fire.

A small smile grew on her face, watching his back rise and fall. She crossed her legs and grabbed a book from her bag.

Maybe helping Cormac wouldn't be so bad. 


End file.
